Denton High School

District Secures Land for Location of New Denton High School

Denton ISD has finalized an agreement to purchase approximately 150 acres within the City of Denton for $10.5 million to secure the location of a new Denton High School, as proposed in the 2018 Bond Package that was approved by voters.

The site is located North of Windsor Drive, West of North Bonnie Brae Street and South of North Elm Street (U.S. Hwy 77) near the University of North Texas Discovery Park. It is less than 1.5 miles from the current Denton High location at 1007 Fulton Street.

"We were extremely excited to be able to find a piece of property that is so close to the current Denton High and will meet the needs of future Broncos for many years to come," said Superintendent Dr. Jamie Wilson. "Denton High was the district's first high school and will always remain the high school for many residents, so it was important for us to find a location that would allow it to remain a focal point of the neighborhoods it has served for so many years."

The current Denton High sits on 35 acres, well short of the district average of 89 acres for its other three high schools. The 56-member Citizens' Advisory Committee, which made the recommendations found in the 2018 Bond Package, deemed it more cost effective and functional to build a new school on a different site than tackle another renovation to the 61-year old facility.

Denton High opened in 1957 at its current location on Fulton St., but was originally located at the current site for Calhoun Middle School. That building, which stands at 709 West Congress St., originally opened in 1924 and was designated as a Texas Historic Landmark in 2011. Once the new Denton High is built, the current location will be renovated and become a new Calhoun Middle.

Denton High has a current enrollment of 1,995 students and is part of Class 5A for academic, athletic and fine arts competitive purposes under the University Interscholastic League. The long-term goal of the district is to maintain that UIL Class 5A standing, with the new building large enough to accomodate 2,400 students and meet the needs of expected growth.

There is no current plan to rezone students within the Denton High feeder pattern. The district will continue to watch housing developments in the area and monitor their potential effects on the new school site, which would not be ready to open until the 2021-22 school year at the earliest.

"Our goal is to keep the Denton High zone intact, yet we will continue to look at student projections as we get closer to that opening day," Dr Wilson said. "We don't modify attendance zones unless our schools are overcrowded and we see a need for a new school building. That doesn't appear to be the case right now, but we know our community is excited for the Broncos new home."